Calian was already ringing one of the Hallsten brothers. “It’s Calian Taktuq. Renee flew an interior designer out to your lodge this morning. She’s late back and the heliport can’t contact her. Wait…what? Okay. I don’t know. Thanks.” He ended the call and shoved his phone into his jacket pocket. “He told me they intended to finish the remaining tasks themselves. They had no contractors there today.”
They exchanged a concerned glance.
“Vega?” Matto asked.
Calian didn’t answer but stormed back into the heliport. “The Hallsten brothers didn’t have a contractor at the lodge. Who was the passenger? Male or female?”
The bearded man blinked, his jaw dropping at the disclosure.
“Did they have bags with them?” Matto demanded.
“No contractors today? Are you certain?” the man asked.
“I’ve just spoken to Sax Hallsten. They are doing the final finishing themselves and don’t require further help from contractors. The last one returned to Winnipeg on Monday,” Calian replied.
“It was a young woman. She spoke with confidence and didn’t give the appearance of a liar.” The older man glanced at the receptionist as if seeking backup.
“What was her name?” Calian asked.
“Maggie Hutchins,” the receptionist said. “She booked the flight last week via phone.” She paused and stroked her chin. “Come to think of it, she did request a female pilot if we had one. Implied she’d be more comfortable flying into the wilderness with another woman. She made her request sound normal.”
Kansas scowled. “Age?”
“How long has she been in Churchill?” Dakota asked.
“Where was she staying?” Matto barked.
“We don’t require those details,” the bearded man said.
“How did she pay?” Calian asked.
“In cash,” the receptionist replied. “Most clients pay via credit card, but she told me her last customer had paid in cash and she was pleased to get rid of it instead of carting it around because she hadn’t had time to get to the bank.”
Calian shifted his weight. “Description?”
“About my height. Blonde. She wore a bright red coat, big sunglasses, and a beanie. That’s about all I remember. She was friendly and chatty about her work, but she didn’t wait for long before Renee flew her out to the lodge.
“Renee returned to base, did two tourist runs and took two scientists out to a remote cabin. I called her on the way back and asked her to stop by the lodge to pick up the woman. Tim was scheduled to do it but the woman wanted to stay longer, told me she needed at the least another half hour. A group of tourists came in at the last minute, and Tim took them instead.”
It sounded to Matto as if the woman had maneuvered the receptionist. She’d discovered Renee had to take out the scientists and had planned her day accordingly.
“Crap,” Kansas said, summing up Matto’s thoughts exactly.
Not a single part of this story filled him with confidence.
“Let’s go,” Calian said. “You have Dakota’s number. Please call if you hear anything.”
They followed Calian outside.
Matto’s wolf growled, and Calian halted abruptly in front of him. His older brother whirled, grabbed his upper arm and exerted pressure. “Quit that,” he snapped. “Control your wolf.”
His wolf subsided with a whimper. “Sorry,” Matto said. “I didn’t realize I was broadcasting so loud. What are we going to do? This woman sounds fishy.”
“She is.” Calian grunted. “Vega’s favorite assassin is a woman. My contact told me this assassin goes by the name Maggie. He didn’t know her entire name or if Maggie was an alias. Not much is known about her, but she’s an expert with disguises.”
“What’s our plan?” Dakota asked.
Kansas, with his usual lack of tact, verbalized what they were all thinking. “What if we’re too late?”
